African drumming

• What are the two main types of rhythms used to organize African music?

  Repetition and cyclic rhythms
• What is the purpose of an ostinato in African drumming?

  It serves as a basis for improvisation to hold the piece together
• How does a master drummer contribute to a performance?

  By giving musical cues to change rhythms and accenting different beats
• What materials are often used to make African instruments?

  Plants and animal products such as hide and bone
• What type of instruments are drums classified as in African music?

  Membranophones
• What is the basic form of African vocal music?

  Choral singing known as call and response
• What is a common vocal technique used by African singers?

  Singing in thirds, fourths, or fifths
• What is the role of the master drummer in controlling tempo?

  The master drummer can establish, speed up, or slow down the tempo
• What is the texture created by interlocking rhythms in African drumming?

  A thick and complex polyphonic texture
• How is African drumming traditionally passed down through generations?

  Through oral tradition
• What is the significance of music in African culture?

  It serves as a link to the spirit world
• What are some examples of percussion instruments used in African music?


  Clappers, maracas, scrapers, gongs, and xylophones
• What dynamics are typically found in African drumming during social gatherings?

  Generally loud (forte) and can be very loud (fortissimo)
• What is the role of the master drummer in improvisation?

  The master drummer often improvises highly complicated rhythms
• What are some traditional drums mentioned in African music?

  Djembe, talking drum, and dundun
• How has African music influenced popular music genres?

  It has contributed rhythms, structures, melodic features, and improvisation
• What is the role of ornamentation in African drumming?

  The master drummer can elaborate and decorate his solo drum part
• How does the structure of a piece of African drumming depend on the master drummer?

  It has no fixed or determined length and is dependent on the rhythms used
• What are the typical instruments used in African music?

  • Drums (Membranophones)
  • Stringed instruments (Chordophones) like Kora
  • Woodwind instruments (Aerophones) like flutes
  • Percussion instruments like maracas and gongs
• What are the key characteristics of African drumming?

  • Use of repetition and cyclic rhythms
  • Importance of the master drummer
  • Call and response vocal technique
  • Complex interlocking rhythms
  • Oral tradition of passing down music
• Who are some notable artists and bands in African drumming?

  • Bolokada Conde
  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo
• What is the significance of dynamics in African drumming during performances?

  • Dynamics are generally loud (forte)
  • Can reach very loud (fortissimo)
  • Controlled by the master drummer